Electric iron



J. M. SECHE.

ELECTRIC IRON.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24,1922.

1,419,173. Patented June 13, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

OW PAS@ T'R/VEK J. M.'SECHE.

ELECTRIC IRON.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.24, 1922.

1,419,173. Patented June 13,1922.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES .PATENT oFnFlcl-z.

'Tosnrn 1u. sEcnE, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNsYINANIA.l

ELECTRIC IRON.

Specincatiion of Letters Patent. Patented June 13, 1922,

Application Ied January 24, 1922. Serial No. 531,328.

To all 'whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. Sacmi, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric, Irons, of which the following is a speciication. I I

The principal object of the present 1nlvention is to avoid the fire hazard heretoset fire to anything; Aanother object ofthe` invention is to protect the line wire/plug; and another object of the invention is to provide `a device or attachment capable of application to .existing electric irons4 and adapted to impart to. them the desirable features above setv forth. I-

The invention, generally stated, comprises an electric iron rovided with two normally open circuit ma ers of Awhich one is operavto close un tive in the lane of the iron and is adapted der the weight of the up-(ended iron to heat it and'or` which the other is operative perpendicular-ly to the plane of the l iron to lift the heel of the iron and is #adapted to close under 'pressure applied manually to the iron for ironing.

The invention alsocomprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed. l

A description will now be given of the embodiment of the invention chosen from among other embodiments for illustration in' the accompanying drawings forming .part hereof and 'in w ich- Figure 1 is a side view of an electriciron embodying features of the invention and with parts of the housing broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view with parts in section. y

F- 3 is a view, partl in section, showingjie iron-in up-ende position,

ig. 4 is a view taken generally on the line 4--4 of Figure 1 looking toward' the ri ht.

ig. 5 is a view taken on the line 5--5 of Fi re 1.

'g. 6 is a view taken Figure l, and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrative of the circuit connections.

In the drawings 1 1s an electricuron. 2 1s a terminal block in fixed relation to the.

heel of the iron and spaced from or above the face of the iron. 3 are brackets supporting the block in thev described position andthe brackets are shown as projecting from a plate 4 detachably applied to the rear of the iron as by means of screws and with a heat insulatin pad between the iron and the plate. here are terminal contacts carried by the block 2 and of them one pair 5 is operatively arranged toward the face of the iron and the other pair 6 is operatively arranged away from the rear of the iron. Circuit connections 7 extend from the iron to thel described contacts,

there being one conductor to one contact of each palr of contacts. The contacts'are of course insulated from each other as shown by the block 2 which is of insulating material. 8 is a movable terminal block arare lterminal contacts carried by the movable -ranged at' the heel of the iron and in the terminal block 8 and one pair of these contacts 9 is -operatively arranged at the top of the -bl'ock o posite the contacts 5,'and the other pair ofp these contacts 10 is operatively arranged lat the rear of the" block. There are circuit connections 11 fory the contacts-of the movable hterminal block 8, and they include pins 12 accessible through co-operate with a `line plug not shown. 13, Fig. 4,- are guides for .afordin the movable terminal block 8 a range 0% motion in respect to thexed termlnal block 2 and beyond the plane of the face of the iron. 14 are projections or eyes extending from 'the bracket4 and co-operatingwith a pair of guides '13. The other pair of the guides 13 work' through openings in the block 2. 15 are springs for normally holding the movable terminal block 8 beyond the face of the iron and away from the fixed terminal block 2v and in position to break the path of the lcircuit at the contacts 5 and 9. 16 is a movable contact block confronting both terminal blocks 2 and 8. 17 are current carryin bridges on the contact block 16, andt `ey serve to'make and break circuit at the contacts 6 and 10. 18

lan opening in the block 2- and adapted to are guides for the movable contact block and they permit or afford it a range of movement toward and away from the blocks 2 and 8. 19 are springs for normally pressing the contact block 16 away from the terminal blocks 2 and 8 in order to break circuit at the contacts 6 and 10. There is a sectional housing and it is shown as consisting of two parts of which the part 2O is secured to the movable terminal block'8 and extends downward as at 21. The other l iron except two.

part of the housing 22 is secured to the contact block 16 and the tw-o parts of the housing `are movable in respect to each otherso that the housing projects and conceals the described mechanism without interfering with the movement of the parts.

The normal position of the parts is such that the path for the current is interrupted at all the contacts and the portion 8a of the block 8 is projected in all positions of the This condition of aiiairs obtains so that in all positions of the iron except two the circuit is interrupted. Furthermore if the iron is hot from previous heating the spring pressed block 8 operates to liftits heel, as shown in Figure 1, so that the iron rests on its toe and air has access to its face and the result is that while the toe may scorch a little it will not ignite the material, even fabric upon which it rests, and

this is true although the iron had been previously heated to a very high heat, it being of course understood t at since no current 'may reach the iron, it gradually cools oi'f without danger of setting fire' to anything. To heat the iron it is up-ended, as shown in Fig. 3, with the result that there is established a path for current by way of 12, 11, 10, 17, 6 and 7. If the iron should be knocked over it assumes the safe position shown in Figure 1 with the current oli.' and the heel raised, or some other safe position with the current oil or the iron raised. When the iron has become suiiicientlyhot it is used in the ordinary manner and the manual pressure on the iron brings its face and the face of the part 82L in substantially the same plane, thus shifting the block 8 toward the block 2 and closing the circuit at the contacts 5 and 9, so thatthe current heats the iron when in use. If the ironer releases the iron from pressure, the springs 15, acting on the part 8a and block 8, raise the heel of the iron, thusnot only interrupting the circuit but also providing for such access of air under the face of the iron as prevents the ignition of the fabric or other object upon which the nose of the iron and the part 8a rest. It may be remarked that the pins 12 are remote from the iron and in fact are sheltered by the block 2, so that the contacts in the plug as well as the pi'ns are protected from heat and therefore are durable.

The projection portion 23 on the movable contact block 16 (Figs. 1 and 2) when the iron is up-ended, comes between the fixed and movable terminal blocks and separates them.

It will be obvious to those skilled in'the art to which the invention relates that modiiications may be made in details of construcotheris operative substantially perpendicular to the plane of the iron to lift the heel of the latter and is adapted to close under pressure applied to the iron for ironing.

2. An electric iron having in combination two normally open circuit breakers of which one is operative inthe plane of the iron and is adapted to close under the weight of the up-ended iron to heat it and of which the other is operative substantially perpendicular to the plane of the iron to lift the heel of the latter and is adapted to close under pressure applied to the iron for ironing, and a sectional housing enclosing the said members and adapted to permit of the described movements thereof.

3. An electric iron having in combination circuit connections, a circuit closer arranged at the heel of the iron and operative in two directions to close the circuit, and spring means adapted to press said circuit closer into circuit breaking position and into position for raising the heel of the iron and adapted to yield when the iron is up-.ended and is pressed down `for ironing.

et. An electric iron having in combination circuit connections, a fixed terminal block arranged at the heel of the iron and having an-` gularly disposed contacts, a movable terminal block adapted for projection beyond the face of the iron and having angularly diS- Vposed contacts, a movable contact block cooperating with said terminal blocks and hav,- lng bridge contacts, and guides and springs for said movable blocks, substantially as de-` scribed.

5. An attachment for electric irons comprising the combination of a plate having brackets and guides and adapted for attachment -to an electric iron, a fixed terminal block carried by the brackets and provided .with angularly disposed contacts, a' movable terminal block provided with angularly disposed contacts and adapted to project beyond the face of the iron, guides on the movable block co-operating with the guides on the plate, springs;y and limit guides between l the fixed and movable terminal blocks rethe fixed and movable bloc-ks, a movable contact block having bridges, and springs and limit guides interposed between the contact block and one of the terminal blocks, substantially as described.

6. In an electric iron the combination of three elements arranged at the heel of the iron and of which one is a fixed terminal block and of which the other tWo are movable in respect to the first in directions at substantially right angles to each other and are respectively a movable terminal block and acontact block, springs normally separating said blocks, and circuit terminals from the iron and from the line provided on spectively and adapted for contact with each other and with bridge contacts provided on the contact block.

7. In an electric iron-the combination of three elements arranged at the heel of the iron and of which one is a fixed terminal blockand of which the other two are movable in respect to the first in directions at substantially right angles to each other and are respectively a movable terminal block and acontact block, springs normally separating said blocks, and circuit terminals from the iron and from the line provided on vthe xed and movable terminal blocks respectively and adapted for contact With each other and With bridge contacts provided 'on the contact block there being an opening in the fixed terminal block for the accommodation of a line plug.-

8. An electric iron provided with a movable element arranged at its heel, and spring means for causing said element to normally raise the heel of the iron.

' JOSEPH M. SECHE. 

